The Singapore Arrival Card (SGAC): How to Fill It In, and What Else You Need to Enter

Singapore replaced its paper immigration card with a digital one, and the search traffic tells you how many travellers get caught out by it. Interest in "singapore arrival card" has exploded, and so has a small industry of lookalike websites charging money for a form the government provides free.

Here is exactly what you need to file, when, and what else immigration expects from you.

What the SG Arrival Card actually is

The SG Arrival Card (SGAC) is a digital arrival declaration with an electronic health declaration attached. It replaces the white paper card that used to be handed out on the plane. Nearly every short-term visitor must submit one, whether they arrive by air, sea or across the Causeway.

What it is not:

• It is not a visa. If your nationality requires a visa for Singapore, you still need one.
• It is not an entry permit. Immigration officers still decide at the counter.
• It is not chargeable. There is no government fee.

The three-day rule

You may submit the SGAC within three days of arrival, counting the day you land. Land on 10 October and the window opens on 8 October. Try to file it a fortnight ahead and the system will simply refuse.

This is the single most common mistake. Travellers file early, get an error, assume it is done, and arrive with nothing submitted. Set a phone reminder for two days before departure instead.

How to fill it in, step by step

1. Open the SGAC e-Service at ica.gov.sg, or the MyICA app, within the three-day window.
2. Choose an individual or group submission. Group submissions cover families travelling together on the same flight, which saves repeating the trip details.
3. Enter passport details exactly as printed, including the full name order shown in the machine-readable zone. Mismatches are the second most common problem.
4. Enter your travel details: flight or vessel number, arrival date, and the mode of travel.
5. Enter your accommodation address in Singapore. A hotel name and address is enough; if you are staying with friends, use their residential address.
6. Complete the health declaration honestly.
7. Submit, then save the acknowledgement email or screenshot it. There is no card to print, but having the confirmation offline is useful when airport wifi is slow.

What else immigration expects

Beyond the arrival card, the standard checks apply.

• Passport validity of at least six months from the date of entry. This is enforced.
• A return or onward ticket, which airlines often check at departure as well.
• Proof of accommodation and sufficient funds, occasionally requested.
• Visa, if your nationality requires one. Many nationalities enter visa-free for 30 or 90 days; several require a visa arranged in advance. Check your own passport on the ICA site rather than relying on a travel forum.

Your permission to stay arrives as an electronic visit pass (e-Pass), not a stamp. You can view its expiry date in the MyICA app at any time. If you plan to extend, do it before that date, not after.

source: Visit Singapore

Customs: what Singapore does not let in

Singapore's customs rules are stricter than most travellers expect, and enforcement is real rather than theatrical.

• No duty-free alcohol allowance if you are arriving from Malaysia, and none for travellers who spent less than 48 hours outside Singapore. Otherwise, limited allowances apply.
• No duty-free cigarettes at all. Every stick is dutiable. This trips up thousands of arrivals a year.
• Chewing gum for sale is prohibited; small personal quantities of therapeutic gum are a separate matter.
• E-cigarettes and vaporisers are illegal to import, possess or use, with substantial fines.
• Controlled and prohibited items include certain foods, weapons and, obviously, narcotics. Drug offences carry the heaviest penalties in the region.

Declare anything you are unsure about at the red channel. Declaring costs you a few minutes; not declaring can cost far more.

Avoiding the copycat sites

Search "singapore arrival card" and a meaningful share of the results will be commercial sites offering to file it for a service fee, often styled to look official. The card is free, the form is short, and no third party can get you a faster outcome. If a page asks for a card payment to submit an SGAC, close it.

Landing at Changi

Once through, Singapore is one of the easiest arrivals in the world. Automated lanes handle most passports in seconds, baggage is usually on the belt before you reach it, and the MRT and taxis run straight from the terminals into town. Many travellers are at their hotel within an hour of touching down.

If you are arriving for the Formula 1 weekend, the airport gets noticeably busier from the Wednesday before the race. The 2026 Singapore Grand Prix runs 9-11 October, and immigration halls, taxi queues and hotel check-ins all feel it. Land early in the day if your schedule allows, and have your arrival card done before you board.

Grand Night: the rooftop party during Grand Prix week

Grand Prix week is the busiest week Singapore has. If you are in town for it, Grand Night is the evening built around it: one of the city's finest rooftops, world-class music and performances, and a room full of APAC's leading founders, investors and innovators, high above the circuit.

Immigration, visa and customs rules change. Always confirm current requirements on the official ICA website (ica.gov.sg) before you travel.